


Unexpected Consequences

by PinkAngel



Category: Designated Survivor (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-29
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2019-02-23 09:42:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13187433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinkAngel/pseuds/PinkAngel
Summary: A shooting at the White House hits a little harder than Kendra was expecting.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MeredithBrody](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeredithBrody/gifts).



> Disclaimer: I obviously don't own the show or characters. 
> 
> In celebration of my wonderful friend MeredithBrody's birthday. Congratulations on overseeing another year-long rotation of the planet Earth, and the anniversary of the day of your birth on said planet!

Kendra shuffled her papers and tucked them into the folder as she stepped out of the courtroom. It had taken longer than it would normally take her, but the case ended in her favor and she had every intention of heading to Emily’s office to see if drinks could possibly be a thing whenever they both finally got off work. Once in the hallway she turned to Alice and made sure to smile at her ever helpful assistant. “Could you drop these off in Judge Cornell’s office for me?”

“Sure thing, Kendra. Heading home for the day?” The little spark of barely contained amusement in Alice’s eyes said everything about the woman’s knowledge about her lack of a social life and irregular sleeping patterns.

“I wish,” she answered. “Back to the White House for a few more hours. Might grab a drink later though.”

Alice raised an eyebrow disbelievingly. “Uh huh. Sure you will. Have a good weekend, Kendra,” she added and headed off.

Kendra stared after her, slightly annoyed that her assistant had gotten the last word it. With a roll of her eyes she turned in the opposite direction, but didn’t get far.

“Ms. Daynes!”

Kendra stopped and let the young man – maybe in his twenties – approach. She’d seen him around before, and he had always smiled broadly upon seeing her or on the seldom occasions when she had time to actually speak with him. As an attorney’s assistant, he didn’t have much time either.

“Jerry,” she greeted warmly. “What’s the rush?”

For the first time since she’d met him, Jerry wasn’t smiling. “Have you seen the news yet?”

Kendra frowned lightly and shook her head. In her profession, and especially since working at the White House, she had learned that when someone was in a rush, acting less than their normally friendly selves, and asking _that_ question….it wouldn’t be good.

“No, I just got out of court,” she answered.

“I thought so. I’m glad you were in court. I mean, it was just one shot, but who knows what _could_ have happened, ya know?” Jerry spoke so quickly his words started to run into other and Kendra wasn’t even sure he’d stopped to take a breath.

“Jerry, what exactly is it that happened?”

“There was a shooting,” he answered solemnly.

Kendra tensed and felt a cold sense of dread wash over. The pieces of this puzzle definitely weren’t adding up to anything good. “At the White House?”

“Yeah. Not even an hour ago,” Jerry answered.

“Was the President….” She didn’t finish the sentence, almost dreading the answer. President Kirkman was one of the best men she’d ever met, and definitely one of the best politicians she’d ever had the pleasure of meeting. To think that something may have happened to him…it wasn’t a comforting thought.

But, if the President of the United States had been shot, she was pretty sure she would have heard of it by now. At the very least, there would have been more chaos outside the courtroom. The people walking around didn’t look overly panicked though. Upon closer inspection she noticed a few were talking quietly amongst themselves with concerned or serious looks, but nothing like she would expect if President Kirkman was in serious danger.

“No,” Jerry answered. “Someone disguised as a reporter somehow got a gun into a press conference.”

Oh no.

Oh. No.

Her heart skipped a beat. Actually skipped a beat. That hadn’t happened in…a long time. She went head-to-head with lawyers, government agencies, and politicians on a regular basis. She didn’t scare easily. She didn’t react easily, either physically or internally. But if it was a press conference….

“Who was shot?” she asked, keeping her tone neutral so as to not startle Jerry any more than he obviously already was. “How many?”

“Only one. The guy was arrested before he could do anything more.”

“ _Who_?”

“Um, the guy who’s always on TV. The one who answers press questions. I think his name is…”

“Seth,” she breathed out.

Of all the people, why did it have to be Seth? She immediately felt bad for the thought. She didn’t want any of the others to be shot either. Not Emily, or Lyor, or the president. Seth though….something about the thought of him being hurt made her stomach twist uneasily and her lungs constrict.

Jerry shifted uncomfortably, but she barely noticed. “Do you know him?”

She blinked rapidly as she re-focused on the current conversation. It took a moment for her brain to comprehend what Jerry had asked. “What? Yes. Yes, I know him.”

“Yeah, I…I thought you might. Um, I’m sorry, Ms. Daynes.”

“Sorry?” She stared intently at him, looking for any sign of what he was leaving out. “Is he dead?”

“I don’t know. I mean, the news just said he was shot and wounded. No one said anything about a fatality, so….”

“Yet,” she added for him. “No one has said anything about a fatality _yet_.”

She knew how the press worked, and knew how the White House worked at this point. Information like that wouldn’t be released this quickly. “Thanks, Jerry. I’ll see you later.” She headed for the exit without waiting for a reply.

“I hope your friend is okay, Ms. Daynes!” she heard Jerry call after her, but she continued walking without replying back.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to make this two separate chapters, but they would be very short, so I made it one chapter.

Kendra was half-way to the White House when her phone rang. She put it on speaker as she pulled up to a stop light. “Daynes,” she answered.

“Kendra, it’s Emily.”

“Emily, what’s going on?” Already, even from this distance, she could see the flashing lights near the White House.

“There was a shooting at the press conference.”

“I know that much.” Her reply came out a little more snappy than she’d intended, or than Emily deserved. “It was Seth?”

Emily didn’t answer right away, and Kendra was just getting ready to launch into an argument about release of information when the other woman finally answered. “Yes.”

“Is he….” Kendra tightened her grip on the steering wheel and ignored the horns being blown at her for not moving when the light turned green. There wasn’t any place for her to go anyway. The traffic was backed up too much.

“He’s at the hospital,” Emily answered.

If he was dead, they wouldn’t bother taking him to the hospital, Kendra reasoned. That was a good sign at least. “I’m on my way back to the White House now. I’ll be there in…”

“Don’t bother,” Emily interrupted. “We’re on lock down.”

Kendra nodded and immediately changed strategies. She quickly pulled over into another lane that would hopefully take her around the traffic jam and get her to the hospital faster.

“That’s why I was calling,” Emily continued as Kendra focused on driving alongside people who apparently didn’t know how to drive today. “The President wanted someone to check in on Seth, and since you aren’t here….”

“Already on my way,” she answered. “I’ll keep you updated.”

“Thanks, Kendra.”

“Yeah. See you later, Emily,” she added before reaching over and ending the call. She took a deep breath and released it slowly. Seth was alive, she told herself. He’d be fine.

He had to be.

* * *

 

“Ms. Daynes?”

Kendra looked up from replying to an email on her phone, shoved the phone into her suit pocket, and walked up to the doctor calling for her. He looked to be in his fifties, with a light dusting of gray hair at his temples, and a kind enough disposition. “I’m Kendra Daynes,” she stated, holding out a hand for him to shake out of habit.

“I’m Doctor Callahan. Would you like to step into one of the private rooms?”

She nodded and followed him into one of the private consultation rooms. She told herself it wasn’t because the news was that bad. It was just because the patient was a government employee who had been involved in a shooting at the White House. That was all. No other reason, she mentally insisted.

“How is he?” she asked calmly.

“Alive. You’re listed as one of his emergency contacts, as well as his lawyer.”

That surprised her slightly, but it could be addressed later. “Yes. His parents are on the way, but it will be awhile before they arrive.”

“I’ll tell them this when they arrive, or you can if you’d rather.”

“I’ll tell them,” she assured him. It seemed like any news, good or bad, would be delivered better by a friend than a neutral doctor.

“Mr. Wright is…well, to put it bluntly…..he’s lucky.”

“I’m not sure I would call getting shot lucky, Doctor,” she commented sarcastically.

Doctor Callahan seemed to take her mood in stride and only smiled lightly. He was probably accustomed to her reaction. “He could have died, but he didn’t. The bullet missed his heart by about half an inch. It nicked a lung and he has some internal bleeding, but he has a good chance at surviving this.”

“A good chance?” she repeated as if repeating something stupid a courtroom opponent had just said. “Can you clarify that, Doctor?”

The man paused only briefly. “You’re a lawyer, aren’t you?”

“My profession isn’t in question right now.”

“Of course,” Doctor Callahan replied, biting back a smile. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I’ll clarify, Ms. Daynes. Mr. Wright has received a serious injury, but the prognosis is in his favor. The next twenty-four hours will be critical to his recovery, and we’ll be keeping a close eye on him, but for the moment I have confidence in his ability to survive and recover without permanent damage.”

Kendra felt her shoulders relax slightly. “Okay. Thank you.”

He smiled lightly again. “Assuming you have your identification, you may visit him. At least until his parents arrive. We don’t want too many people crowding around him at once.”

“I understand.”

“A nurse will come out and get you once he is settled.”

With that Doctor Callahan opened the door and held it open for her to leave first. She returned to her place near a window and waited yet again, but at least this time she found it a little easier to concentrate.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one chapter left after this.

Kendra glanced up from her email when she caught movement. Or at least she thought she had. Upon looking up and staring at the man on the hospital bed she realized it may have been a trick of the light. Seth wasn’t moving, and his eyes weren’t open.

She’d been on vigil for nearly two hours, had spoken with both Emily and Seth’s mother, and was just getting comfortable in the chair. The nurse had said that Seth may or may not wake up soon, but she was hoping for the former. If he would just open his eyes it would make her feel better.

She was just about to return to her email when she saw it. A small, barely noticeable finger twitch. She stared, wide eyed, and waited for something else. After what felt like an eternity the same finger moved from side to side, as if Seth were feeling the blanket and trying to figure out what it was.

“Come on, Seth,” she encouraged. “You’re laying down on the job.”

“Am not,” came a mumbled, barely coherent retort.

She grinned and sat forward in the chair. “Prove it.”

It was clear how much effort it was taking him, but slowly…gradually…his eyes opened. He breathed in sharply and then winced. “What’d I get hit with? A bus?”

“A bullet,” she answered matter-of-factly.

“I was shot?” he asked, brows furrowing as he tried to look down at himself. If she didn’t know better, she would swear he was checking to see if the rest of his body was still there. The effort to lift his head proved too much though, and he let it fall back onto the pillow.

“You don’t remember?”

A look of deep concentration crossed his face. “Some guy was trying to argue with me I think.”

She didn’t know the full details yet, only what the media outlets were saying, so she couldn’t be sure if that was right or not. “Some guy shot you. I guess he didn’t like what you were saying. Big surprise there,” she teased.

“Ouch,” he said with a grimace.

“Yeah.”

He looked over at her as if not sure he could trust his eyes or ears. “Are you sure I was shot? That doesn’t sound right. Why would I get shot?”

Kendra rolled her eyes amusedly. “Pretty sure. You have a hole in your chest if you don’t want to take my word for it.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

“Good idea.”

He shifted, but didn’t look any more comfortable than before. “Was anyone else hurt?”

“Nope, just you.”

“Lucky me.”

Kendra scoffed, mostly because of her earlier conversation with the doctor. “You have no idea. Your parents are on the way, and your mother made me promise not to let you out of my sight until she gets here, so you better behave. I don’t want to have to explain why I let you die to that woman.”

Seth smiled crookedly as he looked over at her, and his eyes seemed to dance with amusement. “You talked to my mother?”

“I did.”

“I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

“You better be,” she teased further. “Honestly, I think you owe me dinner after today.”

“You got it. Dinner at McDonalds.”

“So romantic, Seth.”

His amusement faded as he stared at her, and she was pretty sure the pain medication was the only reason he was looking at her with such open….seriousness. “I can be romantic. Can I show you?”

“Maybe later,” she answered, feeling more than a little uncomfortable. “Get some sleep, Seth. Before you say something you’ll regret once you come off the meds.”

His attempt to keep his eyes open failed completely. A faint smile tugged at her lips as she watched him mutter something incoherent under his breath before finally drifting off into a slightly more natural sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we have the last chapter.

“Hey.”

Kendra looked up from the file she was looking over to find Seth standing in her office doorway. “Seth?” She stood quickly and walked over to him, tugging him lightly towards to the sofa so he could sit. “What are you doing here?”

“Visiting you?”

She rolled her eyes with a half-smile as he stiffly sat down. It was obvious he was still in some pain just with the way he was holding himself. “At the White House, Seth. At work. I didn’t think you were supposed to return to work for another few days.”

Seth smiled with a hint of mischief. “I couldn’t take my mother watching my every move anymore. And Lyor wanted me to do a press conference anyway. Reassure the general public and all, you know?”

Kendra nodded. She’d heard Lyor go on and on about plans for Seth’s grand return for nearly a week. She was surprised she didn’t hear the pomp and circumstance already. “Don’t let him make you overdue it,” she warned.

“I won’t. So…” He drew the word out, making it clear that he wasn’t entirely sure how to go about what he wanted to say.

“Yes?” she prompted when he didn’t continue.

“I never really said thanks for sticking with me for so long. In the hospital,” he added. “My mother even liked you.”

“Well, that’s surprising,” she commented with a chuckle. ‘Like’ wasn’t exactly the impression she’d gotten off of Mrs. Wright. But then, her son had been in the hospital. “She seemed like a…nice woman.”

Seth scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Uh huh. So, I was wondering….”

She waited for him to continue, and when he didn’t she verbally poked him again. “Seth, you might want to try using full sentences. Or are you still on the good drugs?” she added with another chuckle.

“I still owe you dinner,” he blurted out, the words running together in his rush.

For the first time she found herself wondering how he had ever become so good with words, so good with the press, when this was what he was like right now. More than that though, she was surprised he remembered the brief conversation they’d had when he had first woken up. She raised an eyebrow as a smirk tugged at the corner of her lips. “You don’t owe me anything, Seth.”

“I would _like_ to take you to dinner.”

“Oh.” For a moment the professional ramifications of what he was suggesting flashed through her mind in an orderly, methodical fashion. She stared at him, trying to work out what exactly he was asking and if she was ready for it.

“I’m not on the good meds right now. I figured it wouldn’t be a good idea to come to the White House hopped up on pain meds,” he added, possibly in an attempt to lighten the mood. It didn’t really work.

“That was probably a good idea.”

A moment of awkward silence passed between them.

“So is that a yes?” he asked, breaking the silence.

“I….”

And what, now _she_ was at a loss for words? In some ways this was worse than fumbling for words when the President had offered her a job. It was just dinner, right? She’d gone to dinner with Emily and Seth before. The possibility of going to dinner with just Seth was tempting though, and maybe that was the problem. It was a little _too_ tempting.

“If you’re waiting for me to regret asking, that’s not going to happen,” he told her.

He sounded a lot more confident now. A lot more sure of what he wanted. If he so confident about this, maybe it wouldn’t be too bad. It was just dinner, not a lifetime commitment.

“Yes,” she finally answered.

“Yes, you’ll go with me?”

“Yes.”

“Is that all you can say now?” he asked with a grin.

She smirked back at him. “No.”

Seth chuckled and slowly got up from the sofa. “Great. Awesome. Uh, how about tomorrow night? My parents are leaving in the morning, so you won’t have to worry about them following us or being weird or anything.”

Kendra laughed and walked with him to the door. She could hear Lyor ranting about something or another down the hallway, and knew he was probably on his way to find Seth. “Tomorrow would be great. Maybe I should drive,” she added, shooting his chest a pointed look.

“Yeah, probably a good idea,” he agreed dryly.

As expected, their moment was interrupted by Lyor finding them. “Oh there you are,” he said in the rushed way he said something when he was expecting something to be done soon, and about to go slightly OCD about it. “Okay, there’s a herd of press outside. The President wants to see you beforehand and…is that what you’re wearing? Seriously?”

Seth stared back at the other man. “I was shot,” he pointed out. “Give me a break.”

Kendra held back her laugh, but she knew Seth noticed anyway. His suit was professional, but not quite as neat and orderly as it would normally be. She assumed he’d had trouble getting clothes on with his injury, and she was pretty sure no one other than Lyor would notice the few wrinkles.

“I’ll text you later,” she told him, knowing that there was no way their conversation could continue with Lyor waiting now.

Seth smiled and nodded while Lyor looked between, squinting slightly.

“See you tomorrow, Kendra,” he said warmly. More warmly than she could remember him ever talking to her before. What surprised her more though, was the amount of gentle, caring emotion in his eyes as he smiled.

When it came to Seth, there was definitely a lot of things the press didn’t get to see, and Kendra was honored she was now one of the chosen few who got to see those things. She smiled back softly and nodded.

“Okay,” Lyor said slowly, his eyes darting between them. “Not going to ask. Let’s go.” He turned and walked away, not even looking back at them.

Seth rolled his eyes and she shook her head amusedly before watching him follow Lyor out of the office.

Once they were both gone she returned to her desk, but just stared at the file. “I’m having dinner with Seth,” she said to herself, hoping to make it feel more…real. A few weeks ago she never would have imagined going on a date with Seth Wright, despite any attraction or fondness she had for the man. When she’d sat in the hospital waiting room, just hoping he would survive, anything more than friendship was the farthest thing from her mind. She couldn’t deny how his near-death had affected her though.

She sighed and forced herself to focus on her work. It was just dinner. Just one date, she reminded herself. She wouldn’t be shopping for wedding dresses anytime soon. She decided to ignore how…un-terrifying that thought was.

If nothing else, this had definitely turned into the most interesting job she’d had to date. Or least in the top three.

With a satisfied smile she got back to work while making a mental note to watch the press conference later. Hopefully no one would be shot during this one.


End file.
